City of Seward City Council Louis Bencardino - Mayor Margaret Anderson Marianna Keil David Crane Jerry King Darrell Deeter Bruce Siemenski Ronald A. Garzini, City Manager Seward Historic Preservation Commissioners Doug Capra Donna Kowalski Virginia Darling Faye Mulholland Jeanne Galvano Dan Seavey Glenn Hart Shannon Skibeness Mike Wiley Project Historian - Anne Castellina Community Development Department Kerry Martin, Director Rachel James - Planning Assistant Contracted assistance by: Margaret Branson Tim Sczawinski Madelyn Walker Funded by: The City of Seward and the Alaska Office of History and Archaeology Recommended by: Seward Historic Preservation Commission Resolution 96-02 Seward Planning and Zoning Commission Resolution 96-11 Adopted by: Seward City Council Resolution 96-133 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction......................................................................................................................................1 Purpose of the Plan ..............................................................................................................1 Method .................................................................................................................................2 Goals for Historic Preservation............................................................................................3 Community History and Character ..................................................................................................4 Community Resources...................................................................................................................20 Preservation Law ..........................................................................................................................22 Preservation Efforts .......................................................................................................................24 Preservation Incentives..................................................................................................................28 Threats and Opportunities..............................................................................................................32 Land Use - Preservation Coordination...........................................................................................37 Agenda for Future Action ..............................................................................................................40 Plan Implementation ......................................................................................................................46 Bibliography .............................................................................................................. Bibliography i Appendix A. Chronicle of Seward Phoenix Log Articles January 1994-July 1995).Appendix A 1 Appendix B. Seward Historical Site Inventory .........................................................Appendix A 3 Appendix C. Community Survey............................................................................... Appendix C 1 Appendix D. Town Meeting Agenda.........................................................................Appendix D 1 Appendix E. Seward Vicinity Map, Local Historic Districts and National Register Sites . Appendix E 1 Introduction "I came, I saw, I liked, I stayed." Historic Preservation Commissioner and thirty year resident, Dan Seavey The town of Seward, through its landscape, setting, historic architecture, central downtown district and transportation ties, conveys a strong "sense of place" to those who visit and who reside there. A spectacular natural setting and planned community layout, set it apart from other Alaskan communities. Seward's role in the history and development of Alaska is significant. Unlike many communities triggered by a single purpose, Seward's setting on Resurrection Bay has attracted settlement through all periods of Alaska history: prehistoric, Russian, miners and trappers, gold rush, railroad, territorial days, and World War II. Vestiges of all these periods of history remain today. History is not quiet here; it speaks from remnant pilings along the beach, the Iditarod Trail, a railroad depot, the Lowell Canyon diversion tunnel, a Quonset hut. These and other places and structures are our link to the past; part of the quality of life which brings us here. There is no way to "freeze frame" the historical character of Seward into any one of these periods. They are all part of what Seward is and was, the town "character" many find difficult to describe, but hold dear. Purpose of the Plan According to the 1990 Seward Comprehensive Plan, when asked what they liked most about Seward, residents singled out the people, Seward's natural beauty and small town nature. Through a local historic preservation plan, the community intends to identify, maintain, protect and enhance its cultural, historic, social, economic, architectural, archaeological and scenic heritage. The Seward Historic Preservation Plan focuses on the historic and cultural resources unique to the community and suggests ways to integrate these resources into current and projected growth patterns. The plan identifies sites, buildings and structures residents consider essential to the identity of their community and "sense of place." It is intended to provide resource material and guidance to the Seward Historic Preservation Commission (SHPC) and the City's Community Development Department in developing annual and long range work plans and taking on new projects. Upon approval by the Seward Historic Preservation Commission, Planning and Zoning Commission and the Seward City Council, the final plan will be included as an addendum to the Seward Comprehensive Plan, adding preservation goals and considerations to city-wide planning efforts. Many local historic resources have been lost throughout the years and present economic opportunities may put others at risk. An effort must be made by all governmental bodies and the private sector to prevent the gradual loss of these resources. The adoption of a preservation plan guarantees that historic resources will be incorporated into future development and land use Seward Historic Preservation Plan 1 planning. This plan is designed to help inform, guide and focus community efforts to preserve historic resources by providing the local historic commission with a tool to formulate future recommendations and actions. The plan is not designed to respond to any particular project, past, present or future but rather promote historic and cultural resources as valid and necessary planning concerns. Method This plan was developed through three public work sessions with the Seward Historic Preservation Commission, a community survey, interviews, a town meeting and research material gathered from July through December 1995. Every effort was made to reflect the concerns and wishes of the community. Community surveys were circulated and collected in the community over a 15 week period (mid- August to mid-November). Modeled after the statewide historic preservation questionnaire, contractors worked with the local Historic Preservation Commission to customize the survey to meet community needs. The type of format (75% essay) required 20-30 minutes to complete and most certainly affected response rate. Over 200 were distributed with a return of 50. Although troublesome to complete and difficult to tabulate, the survey succeeded in bringing out more than superficial responses on issues of historic preservation in Seward and should prove helpful to the local commission in assessing community sentiments and concerns. A summary of survey responses is located in Appendix C. On November 15, 1995, the Commission hosted a town meeting at the historic Railroad Depot building. The Depot, a recent focus of preservation concerns since being vacated by the Alaska Marine Highway in the summer of '95, provided an inspiring and realistic setting in which to discuss community concerns regarding local historic preservation. Thirty-six people attended, reflecting a variety of backgrounds, businesses and concerns. The meeting served not only to obtain information, but to increase community awareness of the preservation plan process, the Commission and historic preservation in general. The meeting was facilitated by one of the contractors, and notes were taken by both city staff and the contractors. The recorded information was used to augment the community survey to identify Seward's historical assets, threatened sites and the best means to preserve historic properties. The meeting agenda is found in Appendix D and meeting notes are on file with the Community Development Department. Seward Historic Preservation Plan 2 Goals for Historic Preservation Based on the above process, the following goals are set forth to identify, maintain, protect and enhance Seward's cultural, historic, and scenic heritage: Maintain the historic character of Seward while encouraging its development as a commercial, cultural, and tourist center. Ally historic preservation and economic development in Seward through the promotion of heritage tourism and adaptive re-use of historic buildings and structures. Identify and preserve the diverse aspects of Seward's history: buildings, sites, structures, trails, landscapes, archives, transportation facilities, downtown district, and artifacts. Integrate historic preservation into Seward's city planning process to insure preservation decision making becomes routine in local land use planning. Encourage community understanding